Delhi Turns Into Jungle War as Jung Retaliates Cancelling Transfers

Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Wednesday retaliated Chief Minister arvind Kejriwal’s unwelcome complaints to the President and Prime Minister by cancelling all the postings made by the Delhi’s elected government in the last four days.

While Delhi is fast becoming a turf for the open rivalry between the appointed ruler versus the elected leader, the show of strength has relegated democracy to amateur governance.

Besides meeting the President, Kejriwal today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to let his democratically elected government function independently.

North Block in Delhi

By the evening Lt Gov Jung showed how the jung (battle) is fought over with his unilateral cancellation of transfers of officials made in the past four days.

Ironic but the cordial relations between the two which were high in spirit during the last term when the Congress was at the Centre is glaringly absent this time with the BJP keeping silent and watching the war of words between the two, reminiscent of the ancient Sultanate rulers over Delhi in the pre-Mughal period.

The Prime Minister, who is set to return, may have to deal with the issue immediately as it has already made headlines aborad and making a mockery of Indian democracy despite 60 years have passed since the British had left the country with a writing on the North Block’s wall that “Liberty will not descend to a people: a people must raise themselves to liberty. It is a blessing which must be earned before it can be enjoyed”.

Before the two rulers of Delhi make a mockery of Indian democracy, the Prime Minister and the President should intervene to set things right. If there is any respect for democracy, then Kejriwal should be given a free hand or else the writing on the wall of North Block may sound more familiar to Indians.